


Rewriting Canon: Welcome to Storybrooke

by Nakira Taisho (nakirataisho)



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Canon Rewrite, I'll add ship and character tags as we go..., Multi, Seasons 1-3 Only, Sorcerer!Belle, abuse mention, not using the OUAT tag for Elsa because I'm ignoring that canon post s3, rewrite of a rewrite
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2020-12-31 16:09:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21148490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nakirataisho/pseuds/Nakira%20Taisho
Summary: The fairy tales we know are not necessarily the full stories. When an Evil Queen cast a terrible curse over the fairy tale world, sending them to our world. Fairy tales meet reality in Storybrooke, Maine.





	1. Welcome to Storybrooke (Pilot)

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Welcome to Storybrooke](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1989315) by [Nakira Taisho (nakirataisho)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nakirataisho/pseuds/Nakira%20Taisho). 
**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the Evil Queen threatens the realm with a Dark Curse, Belle tries to do all she can to help take measures to have the curse broken or stopped. Later, her cursed self, Lacey French, takes matters into her own hands to put things in motion when the Saviour arrives in Storybrooke.

_The Royal Wedding of Prince James and Princess Snow White…_

Most of the kingdom had turned up for the wedding, packing into the ballroom and surrounding the platform that had been set up for the ceremony. Those nearest the platform were the closest friends and advisors to the royals. The crowd was abuzz with excitement over the celebration. One noblewoman, lost to the crowd despite her ornate gold dress, quietly watched as things progressed.

If anyone was asked, they would all give different descriptions of her. The only thing consistent in people's view of her would be the design and colour of her dress. A trio of gypsies waiting in the wings were likely the only ones that saw her for who she truly was, and that was her intention. The lady was Belle of Avonlea, and she was waiting for more than the exchange of vows to be finished.

Just as the royals were about to kiss, the doors to the ballroom swung open with enough force to make the chandelier above the crowd shake. The overthrown Queen Regina sauntered into the room and faced the royals. Belle listened carefully as a panic nearly drowned out any words that were said.

"Sorry I'm late," she sneered. Snow White drew her husband's sword and aimed the point of the blade at the woman.

"She's not a queen anymore!" the princess reminded everyone over the panicked shouts. "She's nothing more than an evil witch!"

"Don't stoop to her level," James said, pushing his wife's arm down. "You're wasting your time," he told Regina. "You've already lost. And I will not let you ruin this wedding."

"Oh, I haven't come here to ruin anything," Regina scoffed. "On the contrary, dear, I've come to give you a gift." Belle made a noise at that. She doubted any gift from Snow's vengeful stepmother would be pleasant.

"We want _nothing_ from you!" Snow shouted.

"But you _shall_ have it!" Regina declared. "My gift to you is this…happy…happy day," she sneered, looking around at the crowd. "You've made your vows, now I make mine! Soon, everything you love…everything _all_ of you love, will be taken from you. Forever! And out of _your_ suffering will rise _my_ victory. I shall destroy your happiness, if it is the _last thing I do_." She flung her cape and sauntered out of the ballroom.

"Hey!" the prince shouted, throwing his blade at the queen. In the chaos, no one noticed that Belle had disappeared in a swirl of blue smoke.

Belle appeared in a hut in the woods, waving a hand to transform her ornate gown into a simple frock. She was concerned about Regina's vow. So, she put a potion together and dipped a hand mirror into it, casting a scrying spell on the glass. The glimpse she got of the future when the spell took hold of the glass was not pleasant. She did, however, see a glimmer of hope in the vision. A young child with a book titled _Once Upon a Time_.

She pressed the spell for more glimpses and the book remained consistent. She smiled and set her mirror down, coming up with a plan. She waved a hand and moved to a bit of wood near a castle. Belle stepped onto the property and teleported into the building, going to a section of the castle she remembered was rarely used. Dusters and other cleaning tools were steadily working, which meant that the owner of the castle wasn't home.

She hurried to the library, taking a duster with her and setting it to cleaning the shelves while she searched for the book she needed.

_Storybrooke, Maine; 23/10/2012 07:15_

Lacey French stepped out of her apartment that morning, grocery list in hand. She had an unusual smile as her neighbour, Mary Margaret, joined her on the landing. The pair went downstairs to the parking lot, chatting idly until they reached their vehicles. Mary Margaret went to a beat-up truck while Lacey went to a shiny red Mustang. The two waved at each other as Mary Margaret pulled out of the parking lot and drove to work.

Lacey took her time before leaving, putting the top down and adjusting her mirrors. She froze as she saw the town's pawnbroker hobbling down the street. She worried her lip while she watched him. To her relief, he didn't seem to notice her or anything outside of his immediate path.

When he was out of sight, she drove to the grocer. On her way into the building, she saw the morning edition of the _Daily Mirror_ and the featured article caught her eye.

"_Stranger Destroys Historic Sign_…?" she read, skimming the preview that was typed out beside a photo of a blonde woman. "Emma Swan…?" She looked at the photo again and recognized several of the prince and princess' features in the woman. "Oh, finally…"

_Sometime After the Royal Wedding…_

Belle had listened in on Regina's plan. This curse would take every person from the land and deposit them in a Land Without Magic with false memories that would prevent anyone that had slighted Regina in the slightest from having their happiness. She already had a spell in the works to create the book from her visions for that child, but she needed to know more details. Snow White had covered all of the mirrors in her castle to guard against Regina listening in on any plans, which also prevented Bell from using the same spell to mesh her own plans with theirs.

She had no way to contact her one friend on the counsel without him calling for her or her having access to the mirrors he might pass by. So, she had to contact the one person she hated most in the realm besides her father. She held her cloak close to her body as she went to a secluded spot in the woods, walking to give herself more time to mentally prepare for the encounter.

"Blue," she called into the night when she reached a proper clearing. There was no sign of a response from the fairy, so she sighed and channelled magic into her voice to make sure it reached the fairy's ears. "Ruel Ghorm!"

"Belle…I'm surprised you called for me?" the fairy's small voice said with uncertainty as she floated towards her.

"I'm not on the counsel of the princess," she said lightly. "I can help with this coming curse, though. What have they found out?"

"What can you do to help?" Blue asked, ignoring Belle's question. Belle's eyes flashed a little, but she kept her emotions in check as she set her expression.

"Trust a fairy to be distrusting," she bit. "Is it because of Rumple? Or my mother, Fuchsia?"

"You know about her?" Blue asked, eyes wide in shock.

"Yes. I know about the fairy that you betrayed and left to die," she snapped. "And I see I'll have to help without collaborating with the royals."

She teleported back to her hut and sat down to look at the progress of the Book. The quill she'd enchanted was steadily writing stories that she had no involvement in on some of the parchment while watercolours were making the illustrations to go along with the stories. She very nearly penned her own story into the book, but she knew it wasn't pertinent to getting things taken care of. And an unrelated story being present would all but outright tell the child who the creator of the book was.

So, she turned her attention to the binding.

_Storybrooke, Maine; 23/10/2012 16:45_

Lacey headed to the pub, taking the longer route from her flat to avoid passing both the Pawn Shoppe and the home of the Pawnbroker. As she passed by the diner, she spotted a yellow beetle that she only recognized from the news article about Emma crashing into the sign. She smiled a little, glad that things were going mostly according to plan.

She parked her car and looked at the clock tower. It was still stalled, which told her that Emma hadn't officially decided to stay quite yet. Already, she was considering options and ways to ensure the curse was broken without actually involving herself. There were enough uncertainties that she may have to figuratively get her hands dirty.

A knock at her window startled her out of her thoughts and she looked to see that one of the waitresses was looking at her in concern. She checked the time on her watch and frowned, realizing that fifteen minutes had passed while she was lost in thought. With a sigh, she got out of her car.

"Everything okay?" the waitress asked her as they started inside and towards the time clock. Lacey clocked in first, nodding in response to the question. "You sure? You've been pretty spacey the past few days…"

"Everything's wonderful," she said honestly. "Let's get to work." She headed to the bar and set about her work routines.

_The Day of the Curse…_

Belle put the finishing touches on the book and made her last preparations, trying to make sure that her spell supplies ended up in a place she might have access to. In her preparations, she'd conjured a key that she was sure she'd find the lock to wherever the curse sent them. She also drank a potion to allow her to retain her memories of the Enchanted Forest. A ripple of magic figuratively shook the ground beneath her and she hurried to fetch her horse.

The only thing she took with her in her quest to reach the castle was the book, not wanting to burden her steed with more weight than necessary. As the Curse flowed slowly over the land, she swore. The downside of trying to read the future was not being able to exactly form time frames. If she'd had one more day, she could have gotten the book to Snow without having to race against time.

As it was, she was pushing her horse to go as fast as he could gallop towards their goal. Just as she reached the castle and started to make her way on foot towards the nursery to get the book into that wardrobe with Snow White, her vision clouded and the curse overtook her.

_Storybrooke, Maine; 23/10/2012 20:15_

As Lacey went outside for a short break, a loud click sounded and she looked to see the second hand on the clock tower finally making its way around the face of the clock. She broke out into a grin and watched the clock for a moment.

"Finally…," she sighed, her grin shifting into a smirk. "All according to plan…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit me up on [Tumblr](https://sorcerymuses.tumblr.com/ask) or [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/nakirataisho)


	2. The Thing You Love Most

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lacey looks for something still magical from the other world to ensure that things go according to plan and the curse is broken. Meanwhile, a few years before the curse was cast, Belle makes plans to make a deal with the Dark One to get out of her father's home and save their lands from the Ogre Wars.

_Storybrooke, Maine; 24/10/2012 10:15_

Lacey made her way on foot across town, listening to the distant ticking of the clock and enjoying the walk. She took care as she wove her way to the library under the clocktower. She looked at the mystery key from her preparations and then double checked for witnesses. It was far too early in her scheme for Regina or Gold to know that she was around, much less up to anything.

She carefully slipped the key into the lock of the Library doors and smiled when it fit into the slot. She bit her lip a little, knowing that she'd tried the key in several doors that it fit into but didn't have the right cut to unlock. Gently, she turned the key and the lock clicked. She opened the door and pocketed the key, grinning. She'd finally found her supplies. To be certain, she examined the library itself, finding a hidden section filled with all of the books that Rumpelstiltskin had gifted her in her time in his castle. That made the location promising.

She secured the hidden section and took note of the 'book' that had been the latch. _Beauty and the Beast_. She smiled at the irony of that and did a bit more exploring in the building.

_The Province of Avonlea…_

Belle sat in the library in her father's fortress, reading a book and thankfully in a simple gown that had no need for a corset. She was reclined in her favourite lounge, studying the pages before her intently. This part of the building was safe from both her father and the war with the ogres that was ravaging the land, courtesy of a preservation spell that her mother had cast before losing the last of her magic. Unfortunately, the protection didn't prevent Belle's nuisance of a fiancé from entering her hideaway.

"You really read too much, Belle," his voice cut through the air and she barely looked up from her studies to see him entering the space. He shifted uncomfortably and she rolled her eyes, snapping the book shut.

"You'd be surprised at how useful books can be," she told him, standing and starting for the door. She knew that if he'd come to find her, that meant that the war counsel was convening soon and she'd have to endure wearing a corset over her bruised abdomen.

"How useful can a book be in the hands of a _woman_?" he questioned, gripping her arm as she passed him.

"Very," she snapped, yanking her arm from his grip and opened her book to a specific page. As she turned to properly face him, she spoke a small incantation and blew on the page, releasing a sleeping spell that did its work immediately. The man slumped to the ground, snoring lightly. "_You_ are a means to an end, Gaston…," she sneered. "Never forget that."

She closed her book again and went to her chambers, considering her current plans. She needed to tolerate Gaston for the moment, carefully enduring everything until the moment was right. If the wrong person found out that she'd inherited her mother's magic, she'd be trapped there forever. The land's luck was running out and it was only a matter of time before her subtle suggesting that they seek help from the Dark One was explored.

_Storybrooke, Maine; 24/10/2012 18:00_

Lacey left the library disappointed. Certainly, she was happy that she'd finally found her magic supplies that she hadn't tried to make sure that she had in her dwelling, and the source of research that she'd thought was lost to her with the Curse. It surprised her that the spell that she'd cast on her supplies acknowledged books from the Dark One's castle as _her_ belongings and therefore under the umbrella of her spell. She was disappointed that the wand that she was after, specifically her mother's wand that held the absolute last tendrils of the fairy Fuchsia's magic, wasn't in amongst the supplies.

In fact, quite a few of her things were missing from the inventory she'd been taking through the day. If her spell had encompassed the books, in the transition of the curse, the missing items had to have been sent to _his_ workshop. So, she locked up the library and went in a direction she usually avoided. Since arriving in Storybrooke, she'd been careful to avoid the Pawn Shop, but today, she needed to investigate the place.

She tried the back door and sighed in relief when she found it unlocked and the owner of the building blessedly absent. She slipped inside and quietly started looking for her prize. A bell announced the arrival of someone in the front of the shop and Lacey hid behind a curtain. She listened with baited breath as someone limped through the building with a cane. The thudding of the cane stopped abruptly.

"Is someone in here?" the familiar voice called into the back room. Lacey's breath hitched on hearing _him_ without the impish trill he employed as the Dark One, the voice he had before that dark magic took hold of him. She shook her head and tried to focus on her task as he started limping closer to her hiding place.

A bit of light shone through the curtain she was hiding behind and refracted a little off of the very wand she was after. She smiled and quietly retrieved it, glad when the remaining magic in the wand buzzed against her hand. There was just enough to suit her purposes.

_The Province of Avonlea…_

As was usual for counsel meetings, her father insisted that she attend and 'be presentable' in a fine silk frock and corsets. Belle was studiously listening to the conversations about how bad the so-called war was getting to be, pretending to focus on the spell book she was reading from. Her father didn't want her there for her to participate, after all. He wanted her there to hide the library's spell and keep an eye on her.

"The situation is getting worse by the moment," one of the advisors said gravely. "Our only option at this point if we want to survive is to call on the Dark One for aid…"

"We can't!" Maurice argued, slamming his hands on the table. "I hear that he's _worse_ than ogres…"

"Father," Belle spoke up, putting her book down gently. "Nothing else has worked…maybe it's best?" she pressed softly, to a chorus of agreement from most at the table.

"Fine…," he relented under the pressure. "I'll send word to the Dark One with a promise of gold…"

Belle picked up her book again, rolling her eyes when the conversations continued and all eyes were off of her. _Promise of gold_, she thought bitterly. _He _makes_ gold…what would he want with this land's pathetic supply of it?_

_Storybrooke, Maine; 24/10/2012 18:00_

Lacey clutched the wand to her chest, glancing around the space she was hiding in. Gold was steadily limping closer to the curtain she was behind. From what she could tell in the minimal light, that alcove was where her missing supplies had ended up. She'd have to come back at night or sometime she'd be guaranteed to have no interruptions.

"Is someone in here?" Gold asked sharply. "Show yourself!"

Lacey smiled a little, spotting her familiar spell book. She picked it up, her smile widening as it hummed with magic against her hand. She had what she came for, so she stepped out of hiding and held the book against her chest. Gold's cane clattered to the ground and she looked at him. His eyes were wide and his jaw slack.

"Belle…?" he gasped, reaching for her. "Is it really…?"

"No…it's not," she sighed, barely moving enough to ensure he didn't actually touch her. "You know I'm not really here." He pulled his hand back and she opened her book to the sleeping spell. The way his lip quivered had her tempted to tell him that she wasn't really a hallucination, but she had plans and couldn't let herself be distracted.

"Belle…I'm sorry…," he said sincerely and she touched his cheek gently.

"It's a little late for that, Rumple," she said before invoking the spell on the page to put him to sleep for a while. When he was unconscious, she looked properly behind the curtain to find all of her missing belongings. So, she gathered what she could carry and put everything else the way she'd found it.

Satisfied, Lacey went back to the library to finish her preparations.

_The Province of Avonlea…the Day of the Deal_

Belle flinched as her handmaid tied her into a corset, a bruise was pressed and Belle cried out in pain.

"Sorry milady…," the handmaid muttered.

"It's fine," she assured her. The tying was finished and Belle put on her best gold dress with her handmaid's help.

"Milady…why the gown?" the girl asked as she adjusted the skirts in an attempt to keep her underpinnings from pressing against a particularly nasty bruise on Belle's hip. "It's only a war counsel…"

"I'm not much good at counsel meetings," Belle said lightly, glancing at a small bag she'd prepared. "Papa just wants me there for appearances," she sighed rather than telling the handmaid even a hint at her plan.

When the dress was properly on her, she moved to the vanity and put on some makeup, wanting to look her best to tempt the Dark One. The handmaid moved to work on Belle's hair and while they were working, Belle made a small gesture with her hand, using magic to hide her little bag under her skirts against her leg. The bag had her few most important belongings, including the wand she'd inherited from her mother.

The only thing she visibly took to the war room when she was ready was her favourite spell book. Her father greeted her at the door of the room and grasped her bare shoulders with near bruising force.

"You look lovely, Belle," he said lightly. "As always."

"Thank you…," she said with a smile, not letting on that he was hurting her as she played the demure, helpless girl.

"What's this book you're always reading, Love?" he asked abruptly, reaching for the book in her hands.

"Just a book of stories," she lied. "It's the one my fairy godmother gave me for my birthday last year? It's from another realm, so it's hard to read…but it's good."

"I don't want you reading things from other lands…," he said darkly. "They're dangerous."

"Papa, I'll be fine," she said, willing a bit of hypnotic magic into her voice. _And I won't be here for you to order me about for much longer_, she added silently.

_Storybrooke, Maine; 24/10/2012 19:00_

Lacey slipped into her neighbour's apartment while the woman was out to dinner, using a master key to the building to unlock the door. She pulled the wand out and slipped through the apartment to the second bedroom that Mary Margaret had, then to Mary Margaret's bed, and then to an envelope of cash on the table, tapping her wand on each item and casting a small suggestion on each of them, trying to ensure that Mary Margaret had an overwhelming _need_ to help Emma and be friends with her.

Her spell work done, Lacey left the apartment and locked the door before heading to her own apartment and getting ready for her late shift at the bar. As she went back into her usual routine, she grinned almost wickedly, pleased with how smooth her 'distant' interference was going already. The one thing that could ruin the plan would be if Emma's life had hardened her so much that she outright refused to believe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit me up on [Tumblr](https://sorcerymuses.tumblr.com/ask) or [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/nakirataisho)


	3. Snow Falls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Art Teacher Katherine Glacie helps chaperone a field trip to the hospital with her coworker and friend Mary Margaret Blanchard, and she catches wind of the events that happen afterwards between Mary Margaret and a comatose John Doe. Meanwhile, a kingdom far to the north by name of Arendelle is celebrating the coronation of a new queen surrounded in mystery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will focus on _my_ idea of the inclusion of Frozen in OUAT. I'm taking whatever BS canon gave post S3 and throwing it in a bonfire (Sry for fans of Seasons 4-7). So for visuals, my FC for Elsa is Hilary Duff and her Storybrooke counterpart (Katherine Glacie) has brown hair; Anna's FC here is Sophie Turner and she does _not_ have a Storybrooke counterpart.

_The Kingdom of Arendelle, Coronation Day_

Elsa smiled nervously as she stood at the stairs, nodding politely to the visiting diplomats and the citizens of her kingdom that had made it inside. The more people that filed in, the more nervous she became. She knew she'd have to take her gloves off for the ceremony and if she lost control of her powers for even a moment, it would destroy everything. Her powers had ruined her life before, with the accident that pushed her parents to separate her from her sister and distance themselves from their people.

The bells chimed the half hour right after the crowd had found their seats in the chapel. There was no sign of her sister and the ceremony would be starting soon. Still, Elsa waited for her, planning to remind the minister of a philosophy held by many queens: 'The Queen is never late, everyone else is simply early'. Anna rushed into the castle and slid to a stop in front of Elsa.

"Sorry I'm late!" the princess gasped, trying to catch her breath. Elsa chuckled a little, most of her nerves eased by her sister's arrival. She noticed a bit of seaweed on her sister's skirt and picked it off.

"Took a stroll by the docks?" she guessed.

"Y-Yeah…," Anna mumbled, blushing either from embarrassment or her run.

"It's fine," she assured her, setting the seaweed aside for a maid to dispose of. "After all, the Queen is never late, everyone else is simply early. And we can't have the ceremony without my family present." Anna smiled at that and they went into the chapel.

_Storybrooke, Maine; 25/10/2012 07:30_

Katherine Glacie smiled as she parked her car in the Faculty Lot at the school, getting an odd sense of change in the air. Maybe it was the fact that the clock above the old library was finally fixed. Other than the distant ticking, it was just another school day. She pulled her briefcase out of her baby blue beetle just as Mary Margaret was pulling up to her usual spot beside Katherine. The two entered the school side by side.

"So, have you heard about that visitor in town?" she asked her co-worker as they walked. "Emma Swan, I think the article said her name was?"

"Yeah," Mary Margaret laughed. "She's staying at Granny's Bed and Breakfast. And honestly, she's pretty nice. She's Henry's birth mother."

"Henry Mills?" she gasped. "I'm sure that's causing a bit of tension with Emma staying in town for a while…"

"Yeah, there is…but Henry seems a bit happier, so it's a good trade-off," the other said lightly before they parted ways to go to their classrooms.

Katherine's day went by quickly as she had her students make banners for their coming visit to the hospital. She did take note that Henry _did_ seem to be in a very good mood compared to usual.

Lunch hour rolled around and she met Mary Margaret in the parking lot. The two piled into Katherine's beetle and went to the diner to meet with their mutual friend and Mary Margaret's neighbour, Lacey French. The bartender was already at their usual table and Ruby was bringing out their usual lunches right as they entered the diner.

"Can you believe they finally fixed that old clock?" Ruby asked as she set their food down.

"I know! It's so weird being able to look at it and the time be right," Katherine laughed.

"So, are you bringing students on the field trip tomorrow?" Mary Margaret asked while Ruby headed off to take care of other customers.

"I'm chaperoning a group before lunch," Katherine said lightly, biting into her sandwich.

"You said you have a date tonight, right?" Lacey asked Mary Margaret, sipping at a cup of coffee with an oddly satisfied look to her face.

"With Dr Whale…"

"That sounds…interesting," Katherine sighed. "He's kind of…skivvy."

"I'll keep your usual seat open at the bar," Lacey said lightly. "And really, don't leave him alone with anything you'll be eating or drinking…I caught him trying to ruffe someone at the pub…"

"Yikes…I'll keep that in mind…," Mary Margaret mumbled.

_The Kingdom of Arendelle, Coronation Day_

Her nerves were back. Elsa's hands were shaking as she took her vows. There were so many people in the chapel watching her, judging her. She felt like they were all waiting for her to make the wrong move and show her powers. They would all be terrified of her, lock her away the first chance they got.

She glanced at her sister to see the girl practically bouncing where she stood, so excited for the open gates. Elsa knew that this day was exciting, and she wished she could be as excited as she'd been several days before. But her nerves had mounted with every arriving ship and every decoration she'd caught glimpses of being put up. _Conceal, don't feel, don't let it show_, she chanted to herself, reaching automatically for the baubles as her cue came up. The minister cleared his throat and she stared blankly at him.

"Your majesty…the gloves…," he whispered and she glanced at her hands to see that she was still wearing them. So, she shakily removed them and picked up the objects. She barely managed to keep her hands steady as she turned to face the crowd.

The gathered people stood as the minister changed in their kingdom's Old Language. Seeking some form of grounding, she glanced at her sister. Anna grinned at her and she gave a weak smile in return. Reassured by Anna's expression, she chanced a glance at her hands. A thin layer of ice was spreading from her fingers and her back went rigid. The ice spread and she looked nervously at the crowd, sure at least one of them could see.

The chant seemed to slow down and she swore she saw someone in the crowd whispering to their neighbour. She thought she saw another point at her hands and whisper something. A glance at one dignitary showed him grinning slyly. She glanced down and could have sworn the baubles were completely frozen over.

The minister finished his chant and declared her officially Queen Elsa of Arendelle and she snapped back to reality, whirling around to put the trinkets down and tug her gloves back on before facing the crowd again. She clasped her shaking hands over her skirt, praying that what she thought she'd seen was just her nerves putting ideas in her head.

_Storybrooke, Maine; 26/10/2012 10:30_

Katherine was still a bit hungover as she and her students made the rounds at the hospital. As they'd predicted, Mary Margaret's date with Dr Whale had _not_ gone well and Katherine had met with her friend at the Rabbit Hole for drinks to lament their lacklustre love lives. Lacey had cut them off before they got too drunk, reminding them that it was a school night. Fortunately, when she'd spied Mary Margaret and her class, the other teacher didn't look to be suffering as much from her hangover.

She did spare a glare at Dr Whale when she spotted him in the hallway of the hospital.

_13:15_

After dismissing her students, Katherine went to Granny's for a late lunch with Mary Margaret and Lacey. As was the usual, they talked about books, art and their jobs while they ate.

"So how was that field trip?" Lacey asked as they got to dessert.

"It was good. My students just put up the banners we made in class and put out fresh flowers for the patients and wanted to leave," Katherine sighed.

"Same for my students," Mary Margaret laughed. "I don't think they really understood the point of the outing besides getting a half-day of school. But…Henry found that John Doe in the ward we visited and started asking so many questions about him…"

"John Doe…? The really cute coma patient?" Katherine asked for clarification.

"Yes…that one…," Mary Margaret sighed, clearly embarrassed by Katherine's description of him. Lacey chuckled a little, an oddly knowing look in her eyes, and Mary Margaret went red. Katherine laughed as well and clapped her friend's shoulder to encourage her.

An alarm went off and Lacey groaned, checking it. The bartender cleaned up her part of the table and stood.

"Sorry, I've got to get to work…see you two later on," she said, dropping some cash on the table for Ruby and hurrying out. The two teachers waved at her as she headed out.

"There you are!" a woman said brightly, joining them at the table. Katherine recognized her from the mug shot on the paper the other morning. "I realized we didn't exchange numbers and I was hoping to bump into you…" Katherine cleared her throat a little and the blonde blinked at her. "Oh crap, sorry…were you guys on a date or something?"

"A friend date," Katherine clarified. "I'm Katherine Glacie, I teach art at the school."

"Emma Swan," she introduced herself. "Um…we can talk later then Mary Margaret?"

"Does it have to do with the book?" Mary Margaret sighed.

"The book that Henry's always drawing from? He gets a lot of inspiration from that fairy tale book you gave him," Katherine noted.

"Except he thinks it's all real," the other teacher groaned. "He believes we're all fairy tale characters trapped here by a curse…"

"And…he thinks that the coma patient you guys visited today is Prince Charming," Emma sighed. Mary Margaret went scarlet at that statement. "Yeah…"

"Mary Margaret?" Katherine asked, trying not to laugh.

"He thinks that _I'm_ Snow White," she mumbled.

"Oh."

"So, he thinks if you read from the book to him, this guy will remember who he was and wake up and you can be together…," Emma said tiredly.

"Well…if I do it and nothing happens, he might finally see reality…," Mary Margaret sighed.

"Yeah…"

"That's actually kind of brilliant…get him to the truth without hurting him," Katherine said lightly. "But what if Henry's right and it wakes him up? Even if he's not right about a curse…"

"We'll cross that bridge if we get to it…," Emma said lightly, pulling the book out of her knapsack.

"Guess I'll go get ready for my date…nothing can go wrong if I'm doing all the talking, right?" Mary Margaret sighed, taking the book and heading out after dropping her own cash on the table with Lacey's.

"Do you think he's onto something?" Katherine asked Emma. "Most of his teachers have talked to him about it and honestly he gives a pretty convincing argument."

"Everyone in town is a fairy tale character sent here by an evil curse? Yeah…that's some Saturday Morning Cartoon reaching…"

_The Kingdom of Arendelle, Coronation Day_

Elsa tried to mingle at the ball after her coronation, keeping her hands clasped in front of her and channelling all of her protocol and manners training to keep from showing that she was internally panicking. Her sister had vanished fairly early in the party, mostly because Elsa snapped at her, so she had no familiar face and voice to ground her. Several times she excused herself to the mostly empty throne area to remind herself that she was okay.

No one knew about her powers and she'd imagined the looks and whispers during the ceremony. If she could get through this party without incident, she could go through with her plan to permanently open the gates and try and make right the wrongs of her previous control issues. As she went back into the crowd, a hand touched her shoulder lightly and she jumped, a scream caught in her throat.

"Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to scare you…," the girl that had touched her said, brushing her short cropped black curls behind her ear. Elsa looked her over. The girl was dark skinned and wearing a gown in the royal colours of Corona adorned with the neighbouring kingdom's signature sunburst designs embroidered in the inlay of her skirt, with a simple tiara set into her curls.

"I-It's fine…," she stammered before clearing her throat. "You must be Princess Rapunzel."

"Yeah…nice to meet you," she mumbled, curtsying a little. "Um…this…," she started, tugging a gentleman towards the new queen. "Is my husband Eugene."

"A pleasure to meet you, your majesty," he said smoothly, bowing with a small flourish that sent Rapunzel into a small giggling fit. Elsa couldn't help but smile. "We've heard a lot about you from your aunt."

"I see…," her face fell. Her mother had told the Queen of Corona many things in confidence, likely including Elsa's powers. She'd heard from her mother about her cousin's own curse.

"Are you going to be keeping the gates open after this?" Rapunzel asked.

"I hope so…if this party goes well, probably…," she sighed, guiding the couple towards the throne area for a bit of privacy.

"Well, I haven't been to many royal parties, so I can't really say if it's going well or not…but it's nice…"

"As long as I don't let my powers show, it'll be good…"

"That's what the gloves are for, right?" Eugene asked softly.

"They don't stop my powers, just dampen them…," she explained. "I slipped up during the ceremony…," she admitted to them, oddly glad for someone to confide in. Not even her handmaids knew about her powers.

"Really? We were in the second row and didn't see anything," Rapunzel told her. "Sure, you seemed pretty nervous, but--"

"Elsa!" Anna called, cutting Rapunzel off. The three of them looked to see Anna pulling a young man along towards them through the crowd. "Ah, I mean…_Queen_ Elsa…may I present…Prince Hans of the Southern Isles."

"We can continue this conversation later, Rapunzel," she told her cousin before turning her attention properly to her sister. Rapunzel and Eugene exchanged a look before going off to dance.

"It's an honour to meet you, your majesty," Hans said cordially, bowing. Elsa looked him over, and she thought she recognized some of his features. Anna had introduced him as a prince of the Southern Isles, and on examining him, she recognized some of King Eric's features, so this must have been one of the king's younger brothers. While she was figuring that out, Anna was rambling about something or other.

Hans joined in on the rambling and she blinked, trying to sift through the babble. Ceremonies and living arrangements were mentioned and she realized that they were asking for a _wedding blessing_. Hans was going straight for marriage with an impulsive, sheltered princess. Elsa set her expression, realizing that this was bad news.

"Anna, stop," she said firmly, silencing them with a small wave of her hand. "You can't marry a man you just met. There are procedures."

"You _can_, if it's True Love!" Anna snapped, clinging to the prince's arm. Elsa watched his expression and the twitch of a smirk on his face had her narrowing her eyes.

"What do you know about True Love?" she snapped back, rather than reminding them both about the courtship process. She would consent to allowing him to _court_ her sister, but not a rushed marriage between strangers.

"More than you!" Anna said harshly. "All _you_ know how to do is shut people out!"

"Anna…," she started, noticing people looking towards the argument. She took a steadying breath. "You asked for my blessing, and my answer is no. Excuse me…"

"Elsa, wait a second!"

"Your majesty, if I can ease your--" the prince started and Elsa cut him off with an icy glare as she turned away from them.

"No," she repeated firmly. She wrung her hands a little and headed for the ballroom doors. "The party is over," she announced. "Close the gates," she instructed a guard and he nodded to follow orders.

"Elsa, no, wait!" Anna called, chasing after her and grabbing her hand. Elsa attempted to pull away from her, but a glove slipped off in Anna's hand.

_Storybrooke, Maine; 26/10/2012 19:30_

Katherine chipped away at the stone clamped on her work table, finishing up a commission for an event. She vaguely heard something over her headphones and paused in her work to see where the noise was coming from. Her phone was going off with a call from Mary Margaret. Katherine smiled and took her protective gloves off before picking up her phone and answering the call.

"I think I woke him up!" Mary Margaret exclaimed before Katherine could say anything and then began babbling about what had happened.

"Mary Margaret," she sighed and the woman went quiet. "I can't understand what you're saying. What happened?"

"You know how I agreed to read to that John Doe? He grabbed my hand while I was reading!"

"That's great! Have you told Emma?"

"No…I haven't…you know we weren't expecting anything to happen…but then he woke up and--"

"Just tell her the truth," she sighed, cutting her friend off. "Whether Henry's right or not, this is huge. And…this is actually a bad time for me…"

"Sculpture commissions?" Mary Margaret guessed.

"Yeah…I'd love to talk about this, because it's great and I'm curious, but I have deadlines…"

"Right…I'll let you finish up, then…"

"We can talk over lunch tomorrow," she assured her before ending the call and getting back to work.

_The Kingdom of Arendelle, Coronation Day_

Elsa tried to contain her mounting frustration as her sister shouted at her. She quietly asked her to stop, clutching her ungloved hand to her chest. Everyone in the room was staring at them now. She glanced around frantically as she made her way to the doors. Rapunzel and Eugene were on the approach, clearly about to try and help her.

"Why?!" Anna demanded again and Elsa gripped the handle of the door. She could see the frost spreading from the contact. "Just answer me! Why do you shut everyone out?!"

"Enough!" she whirled on her sister and spikes of ice formed an arc as she turned, very nearly stabbing multiple onlookers. She fled the ballroom and ran outside. There was a crowd in the courtyard, blocking her path and cheering when they saw her.

She clutched her hand to her chest and tried to push her way through the crowd without touching anyone. Several of them asked what was wrong and she only shook her head, trying to focus on containing herself and getting away. Someone reached out to her and Elsa backed away, shaking her head. She almost fell into a fountain and in steadying herself, the sound of the water freezing crackled in her ears.

She looked back to see the fountain frozen in a threatening shape. Children started crying and people started murmuring in fright. She heard shouting from inside the castle and she turned to flee. Her startled subjects cleared the way for her and she ran as far and fast as she could, not even pausing when she came to the edge of the fjord.

_Storybrooke, Maine; 27/10/2012 19:00_

Lunch plans had been cancelled after Katherine got a text from Mary Margaret saying the John Doe was missing and she was helping to find him. So, they met at the bar for drinks and dinner. Lacey sat with them for her lunch break and Mary Margaret launched into the details of what had happened with both reading to the John Doe and him going missing.

"And when we got him back to the hospital…," Mary Margaret concluded. "Mayor Mills had found his wife and brought her to the hospital to verify his name…," she said sadly and Katherine could have sworn she saw disgust flash across Lacey's features.

"That's great," she said lightly. "You woke him up and he got reunited with his wife."

"Well, there's hope," Lacey said softly as Mary Margaret nodded dejectedly. "If he has amnesia, the marriage doesn't mean much."

"What?" both teachers gaped at their friend.

"Nothing," she replied, getting up and gathering the empty plates. "I have to get back to work."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit me up on [Tumblr](https://sorcerymuses.tumblr.com/ask) or [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/nakirataisho)


	4. The Price of Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trio of travelling 'gypsies' is invited to perform at Prince Thomas' ball and later the same prince's wedding to Cinderella, and the eldest of the three gives the Blue Fairy the enchantments needed to capture The Dark One. Meanwhile a mediator tries to negotiate a change in Ashley Boyd's deal with Mr. Gold to give up her baby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The characters that are the focus this chapter are OCs of mine (and a shameless self insert). For reference my FCs for them are Rachel Weisz, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Morgan Lily and the characters are named Nakira/Marlo, Lena/Emery, and Kera/Sofia respectively.

_The Grand Ball of Prince Thomas_

The ball itself was average, just another celebration of an arbitrary tradition. However, the sisters loved parties. And they loved keeping an eye on things. Nakira, Lena and Kera had many rumours about them throughout the land, and all of them pointed to a singular truth: the trio was magical and they were the only ones in the land besides fairies that were known to use their powers for good.

They were also known to attend and perform at every celebration in the land unless you somehow managed to offend them. And the few who had offended them could attest that it was a difficult thing indeed.

At this particular ball, the sisters were performing a light hearted song at the edge of the ballroom. Instruments floated at the back of the stage, seemingly played by invisible artists while the three gypsies danced, their intricate costumes making music as they moved. The eldest played a flute while the other two sang a wordless song.

The song they were playing came to an end and the ball's attendees applauded. While the instruments were adjusting themselves, the ballroom doors opened and all eyes turned to the late comer.

A beautiful young woman with ash blonde hair, in a sky-blue gown that was so lovely it could only be described as magical, stepped down the stairs gracefully. The prince excused himself from a dance offer and approached her, his eyes never leaving the strange girl's. A new song began and the prince invited the girl to dance. She accepted with a curtsy and murmurs passed through the ballroom of her slippers made of glass.

On the stage, the trio exchanged glances, recognizing both the connection between the two dancers and the magic that had granted the girl her attire.

_Storybrooke, Maine; 28/10/2012 08:30_

The music room of the school was full of students waiting for their teacher, who was usually early. The double doors to the room burst open and Marlo LeFaye rode in on a bicycle toting a buggy laden with obscure instruments.

"Sorry I'm late, everyone!" she exclaimed as she parked her bike in front of the blackboard. She put down the kickstand of the bike and stood to address the class, most of whom were already chatting quietly about the instruments in the buggy. "Today, we'll be learning about different instruments and their history."

The music teacher grinned as her students chattered and she called for them all to pick an instrument each and guess the names.

_10:00_

Emery LeFaye went to the Pawn Shop, carrying her briefcase and mentally reviewing the case she was working that day. The Italian lawyer took note of the 'closed' sign on the shop's door, so she went around to the back door and knocked briskly. There was no answer, so she assumed that the pawnbroker was out for an early lunch. She pulled out some paper and wrote a note for Gold to call her about the client she was representing and put it in the mail slot before heading to the diner.

She barely glanced around as she headed for her usual table in a corner. The newcomer, Emma Swan, was sitting at a table by the front windows, sipping at a cocoa while she browsed the morning paper. Emery ordered her usual meal when Ruby came to check on her and she set about her work, opening her briefcase and spreading her few case files out. The mayor came and went and Emma stomped to the laundry room in the back.

She shrugged that off, not concerned with the comings and goings of the mayor. She did have a concern about Emma, but only because the blonde was most likely the mysterious saviour that they were expecting. Time had begun to shift when the woman came to town, after all.

She got up to stretch her legs and headed to the laundry room. She had full intentions of chastising her pregnant client if the girl was working back there. The baby was due any day and Ashley insisted on working when she shouldn't.

"People are gonna tell you who you are your whole life," someone said as Emery entered the space. "You just gotta punch back and say, 'no, this is who I am.' You want to change things? You're going to have to go out there and change them yourself, because there are no fairy godmothers in this world."

Emery looked at the speaker, intrigued by her wording. The only ones in the room were Emma and Ashley and the maid was trying to deal with a stained set of sheets. Emery smiled softly and went to help her client with the sheets.

"Ashley, you should take it easy," she chided with a tired sigh. "Too much stress from working could harm your baby, even this late."

"I know…," Ashley whispered. "I just…"

"I know," she said lightly. "Sit down, I'll finish this." The girl nodded and went to sit down while Emery set to work on getting the sheets white again.

"So…," Emma started.

"My name is Emery. I'm helping Ashley with her situation," she explained vaguely.

_The Wedding of Prince Thomas and Ella_

Word had been spread about the event, and without any sort of invitation or notification, the trio of gypsies simply reappeared in the village just in time for the wedding. No one was surprised by their arrival, as no one could predict when the three would arrive anywhere. They were officially invited to perform at the wedding ball and they accepted graciously.

The ball was going smoothly, but the appearance of the Dark One had the gypsies concerned. He was clearly giving Ella his price for the gown and shoes she met the Prince in. Nakira frowned, but continued playing, glancing at her sisters to ignore the visiting Imp.

_Storybrooke, Maine; 29/10/2012 10:00_

Emery got a call from Gold about Ashley breaking into his shop and attacking him and she promptly went to investigate, calling Ashley first. The girl didn't answer, but she knew that Ashley was probably feeling hopeless when she hadn't been able to give her confirmation that the deal was changed.

She went to the shop and took note of the small board covering a hole in the window. The sign on the door read closed, but she found the door unlocked, so she went in. Gold was behind the counter, small bandages holding a cut on his forehead closed and a triumphant smirk on his face. Emery narrowed her eyes at him and closed the door.

"You certainly look pleased with yourself," she snapped.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he laughed, a trace of his old trill in the tone.

"Your Dark One is showing," she sighed. "We wouldn't let you have this child in the other world, and you can't have her here."

"No one breaks a deal with me," he said darkly. "And I don't know what you're talking about…'Dark One'…'other world'?"

"Don't play dumb with me, _Rumpelstiltskin_. You know as well as I do that everyone with the ability to do so used a potion to keep their memories from our world when Regina cast that curse. And with the saviour in town, things are moving," she reminded him. He remained silent, so she sighed. "Hire the saviour to find her…Things should go in a way that Emma forces your hand. If not, I'll take the necessary measures. But Ashley _will_ keep her child."

"Intriguing…if Emma doesn't force my hand, eh?" he reiterated, a wicked grin on his face. "We have a deal."

_Somewhere Underground in the Kingdom of King Leopold…_

Nakira sighed a little as she and her sisters enchanted the cavern and its cage. She normally wouldn't be okay with imprisoning the Dark One, as his freedom kept certain things in balance, but he was starting to aim for new-borns again and she couldn't stand for that. As she put the finishing touches on the enchantment and her sisters teleported out of the space, the Blue Fairy arrived, growing to her human size.

Nakira towered over the fairy, barely sparing her a glance as she finished her work. The fairy cleared her throat and Nakira finally turned to her. Blue produced a red feather quill, making a face.

"As you asked…a quill made with the feather of a Jubjub Bird…dipped in ink made from…," she paused to shudder. "Bandersnatch saliva…why couldn't you use objects from this realm?"

"For an ancient user of magic, you have little awareness of the consequences of your magic…," Nakira chastised. "Objects in this realm don't have their own magic. Items with their own magic are more potent and have less repercussions. _And_ the magic that permeates objects from Wonderland directly clashes with the darker magics of this realm, which is precisely what is needed to contain him."

She took the quill from Blue and began casting a spell over it. Blue watched in surprise as the quill began to glow and floated in the air between Nakira's hands. When she finished her incantation and the spell settled in the quill enough for it to return to its rather mundane state of appearance, she handed it back to the fairy.

"And this will do what we need?" Blue asked, clearly not trusting the older enchantress.

"Whoever signs with this quill will be trapped in time and their magic rendered useless for a short period of time. Specifically, just enough time to transport the Dark One to this prison," she assured her before teleporting to join her sisters at a festival.

_Storybrooke, Maine; 29/10/2012 18:15_

Emery watched from a corner, ready with her paperwork, but the paperwork turned out to be unnecessary as Emma forced a change in the deal between Gold and Ashley. This proved to Emery that Emma could very well be the saviour just as Rumpelstiltskin had predicted. She cast a triumphant grin to Gold as he glared at her. His eyes narrowed in response and she turned to leave, calling Marlo to update her on the situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit me up on [Tumblr](https://sorcerymuses.tumblr.com/ask) or [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/nakirataisho)


	5. That Still Small Voice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As a child and teenager, Regina struggles with an abusive mother and a growing hatred of magic. Meanwhile, in Storybrooke, the mayor tries to cover up potential evidence of her curse and keep her son out of harm.

_Lord Henry's Mansion (Regina's Childhood Home)_

Regina was about seven when she first let her curiosity overtake her about her mother's work room. She slipped in while her mother was spinning straw into gold and her eyes went wide as she watched the magical change. She swallowed nervously and snuck around the room, looking at the jars of potion ingredients on the shelves and the spell books with strange names.

She bit back a scream as she realized that one of the jars contained a heart that still beat in the green liquid surrounding it. Her mother looked up from her spinning at the noise and Regina fled to the fields and a large oak tree.

As she ran, one thought was clear in her mind: she never wanted to use Dark Magic or have anything to do with it. She wouldn't be a wicked witch like her mother.

She finally stopped running under the oak tree and sat down, hoping that her mother hadn't followed her.

_Storybrooke, Maine; 1/11/2012 16:00_

Regina sat at her desk in the mayor's office, going through her usual routine. Paperwork was neatly piled on her desk, a basket of fresh apples was on each surface and a new sculpture she'd purchased at a charity event was sitting in a corner. She'd heard about a small amount of interloping that Emma had done, but that was an attack on Gold, so she didn't really care.

Right as she was signing a piece of paper, an earthquake shook the building. Her pen jerked across the paper and smaller items shook from their shelves. The new sculpture fell over with a loud thunk, probably denting the floor. Cursing, the mayor stood and put her pen down. Earthquakes _never_ reached Storybrooke. She crossed the room and hoisted the heavy stone sculpture back upright and smiled when she saw that there was no damage to either the figure or the floor. That done, she fetched her car keys and decided to call it an early day and investigate the situation.

She made a call before leaving and found out that part of the mine collapsed in the quake. She sighed and went to the scene. Idly, she wondered what that Swan woman had done to cause this. When she got to the area, there was a crowd gathered. With a sigh, she parked and got out of her car.

"Everyone step back, please," she called over the crowd and they cleared a path for her. She barely registered the curious murmuring of the citizens, seeing that damnable blonde with Graham. One person took a step toward the sinkhole and the ground fell beneath their foot. Regina grabbed them and pulled them back on instinct. "Be careful, stay back," she warned them and went to talk to Graham.

"Sheriff, set up a police perimeter," she instructed him, taking note that he had some tape in his hands already. She turned her attention to Emma. "Ms Swan, this is now official town business," she snapped. "You're free to go."

"Well," the blonde said smugly. "Actually, I work for the town now."

Regina barely managed to keep a straight face as Emma's claim sent shocks of rage through her. She shot a glare at Graham.

"She's my new deputy," Graham clarified and Regina noticed the badge clipped to Emma's belt. _That_ was what she did. She figured the earthquake and the mine collapse happened at the exact moment that badge was in place.

"They say the mayor's always the last to know," she said bitterly.

"It's in my budget," he pointed out.

"Indeed," she ground out. "_Deputy_," she started, levelling a sharp, condescending glare at Emma. "Why don't you make yourself _useful_ and help with crowd control?" Emma rolled her eyes and moved to do just that. Regina turned to the crowd and cleared her throat. "People of Storybrooke, don't be alarmed. We've always known this area was honeycombed with old mining tunnels, but fear not. I'm going to undertake a project to make this area safe, to rehabilitate it to city use. We will bulldoze it, collapse it, pave it," she told them, already making a plan to keep prying noses out of the caverns.

"Pave it?" Henry asked loudly and she looked to see her son pushing his way towards the front of the crowd. "What if there's something down there?" She held back her annoyance that he immediately assumed that she was trying to hide evidence of the curse.

"Henry…," she sighed, crouching to his level. "What are you doing here?"

"What's down there?" he hissed at her and she set her mouth.

"Nothing," she insisted. "This is a safety hazard, now step back…" She straightened and addressed the crowd again.

_Lord Henry's Mansion (Regina's Childhood Home)_

Regina, a teenager now, avoided her mother's work room at all costs. She hated how magic made it easy for her mother to try and control her every waking moment. The girl was hiding in the library, reading a book about horses when she heard her mother calling for her. She swallowed and tried to keep quiet, hoping that Cora would move on in her search.

"Regina, I know you're in here," the woman snapped. "I want to speak with you." Knowing that the consequences for ignoring her mother would be severe, Regina came out of her hiding place. "Much better. Now, it's high time you start studying magic with me."

"I'd rather not have anything to do with magic," she tried to keep her tone even.

"You're my daughter, Regina," Cora reminded her and Regina flinched. "You'll get a lot further in life with a magical advantage. It's your _fate_."

Regina said nothing more to her mother and started to leave the library. An invisible wall blocked her path and she turned to glare at Cora. The woman levelled a look at her and she took a steadying breath.

"Please, Mother," she tried. "I'd rather get the things I want with hard work. And at the moment, I want some fresh air."

"You'll see reason soon enough," Cora sighed and the wall dissipated. Regina walked briskly to the stables, trying to flee with grace.

When she reached the stable, she relaxed knowing that her mother wouldn't set foot in the place unless it benefited her. Taking another calming breath, she picked up a few grooming tools and went to spend some time with her horse, Rocinante.

_Storybrooke, Maine; 2/11/2012 11:50_

The mayor knew that it would crush Henry, but she needed him to stop looking at her like she was nothing more than her old moniker. For a moment, she wondered if she'd become just like her mother, or worse, in the process of keeping her son and her happy ending safe. She cast the thought aside, reminding herself that she truly loved her son where her mother had loved what Regina could do for her.

She wasn't sure how Henry had become so convinced that that storybook was real. But, his obsession with the curse was getting on her last nerve. As was that nuisance Emma Swan. She'd have to deal with one problem at a time, and the first problem was getting Henry back on track.

She glanced at the clock to see that it was almost time for Henry's session with the cricket. It wouldn't be long before she got the call confirming that Hopper had done as instructed and ripped the dream from her son's head. If she dwelled on it, it killed her to break Henry like this, but she knew it was for the best. If the curse was broken, or weakened further, the tendrils of happiness she'd finally grasped would be gone. It was better for them both if he was let down early.

The phone rang at the quarter hour and she smiled, answering it.

"Mayor Mills' office," she said cordially.

"It's done…," was the only reply she got from a wonderfully depressed sounding Archie. "He ran out…"

"Good job," she praised him before hanging up. She knew Henry would go to _her_ first, but she didn't care. Because she also knew that Emma would defer to the fact that Regina was his mother and drop him off at the office. Despite her interloping, that was a consistent thing with Emma, her lack of interest in being anything more than a friend to Henry.

At least two hours passed as she worked and there was no sign of Henry. Frowning, she got up and went downstairs. No one at the office had seen Henry, so she assumed he was still with Emma. Enraged, she pulled out her cell phone and called the deputy.

"Hello, Madame Mayor," Emma greeted with a level of venom in her tone that verified that Henry had reached out to her. "Nice work." Regina held back a sigh of relief, knowing that if he was with _her_ then she at least knew that he was safe.

"Are you with him?" she asked, trying not to sound too relieved. After all, she was only barely okay with Henry spending any time at all with Emma.

"Yes, I'm with Dr Hopper," Emma snapped and Regina's eyes went wide as a fresh wave of panic set in. "You left your fingerprints all over him when you--"

"Not _him_!" she interrupted, barely masking her sudden panic. "_Henry_. Is he with you?"

"I dropped Henry off at your office _two hours ago_…," Emma answered, clearly shocked. The panic fully set in and Regina barely kept hold of her phone. The last time he'd run away, he'd gone to Boston. This time, he could have been kidnapped or worse.

"Well," she snapped. "He's not here."

"I don't know where he is then…," a twinge of the same panic that was clouding Regina's mind came through in Emma's tone and she ended the call in a huff.

The first place she would check was the mines. He'd been determined that she was trying to hide something down there. She _was_, but not what he assumed. Beyond the risk of some form of carried over magic being released, and the risk of tunnel collapses, there were greater dangers in the mines.

_Lord Henry's Mansion (Regina's Childhood Home)_

Fifteen. Regina had tried, and failed, to run away fifteen times. She'd tried to leave at different parts of the land's perimeter, trying to find a gap in her mother's barrier. Every time was the same, even at parts of the perimeter that didn't _have trees_, with her yanked from the saddle by an enchanted branch and poor Rocinante without a rider. She was held aloft by the offending branch while Rocinante circled aimlessly under her before returning to the stables dutifully.

She swore she heard a bell toll the hour twice this time before her mother finally came to let her down.

"Regina, we've been over this before," the woman said sharply. "Until I find a suitable prince or king for you to marry, you'll stay right here where I can keep an eye on you."

Regina said nothing to argue or agree, waiting for the branch to drop her. How the branch put her down varied, but she'd gotten good at the landings no matter how it released her. Today, it simply loosened around her waist before releasing her in mid-air. Regina landed in a crouch and stormed to the stables to put away her saddle and retrieve her small pack before thanking Rocinante for helping her and going to her rooms, locking the door.

She threw her pack down and then threw herself onto her bed. She buried her face in her pillows, screaming into the downy mounds. Her scream devolved into sobs as she wished for things to be different.

_Storybrooke, Maine; 2/11/2012 18:00_

Regina went through the afternoon in a daze after Hopper had gotten himself stuck in the mines trying to get Henry. All she cared about was Henry's safety, and there was nothing she could do in a land without magic. Every fibre of her being screamed at her to force her way past the workers and try and dig her way in herself. Finally, that annoying dog found an air shaft and they had a rope set up.

Reluctantly, she'd acknowledged that she'd let herself go since she'd become 'the Evil Queen', and even more so when she'd cast the curse and become Mayor. Emma was better equipped to repel into the hole to save Henry.

What was probably only a few minutes crawled by before the loud shrieking of metal came up from the hole. Three voices screamed as the rope jerked and something scraped and groaned before crashing to the bottom of the hole. Regina let out a breath when Emma shouted up at them to start pulling them out.

_Surely_, she thought. _I'm only worried about her because she's the only reason Henry's going to be okay right now_. When the three of them were out of the hole, she snatched Henry to the side and checked him for injuries before crushing him in a hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit me up on [Tumblr](https://sorcerymuses.tumblr.com/ask) or [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/nakirataisho)


	6. The Shepherd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lacey, Katherine, and Emma try to help Mary Margaret with her troubles with David Nolan. Meanwhile, Belle comes across a young man with a penchant for playing pranks on his village.  
**Content Warning:** Character Death/Suicide in this chapter

_Storybrooke, Maine; 5/11/2012 18:00_

Lacey was steadily polishing the counter and mugs when she saw Mary Margaret come into the pub with her shoulders hunched. Lacey frowned and made her neighbour's favourite drink, setting it in front of the woman's usual seat at the bar just as Mary Margaret was sitting down heavily. Lacey abandoned her busy work to focus on her friend.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly. "You don't usually come without Katherine." Unfortunately, she already knew the answer. The look on Mary Margaret's face told her that there was romance involved.

"I don't want to talk about it…," the other sighed, picking up her glass and staring numbly at the contents.

"You look like you need to," Lacey pressed.

"It's David…"

"The coma patient you woke?" she asked to clarify, laughing internally at the irony of that being his name in Storybrooke.

"He's married, and he…he said that he…"

"He likes you," she guessed, picking up a glass to clean, unable to help the knowing smirk that crossed her features.

"Not exactly…but along those lines…I put in my resignation at the hospital…"

"Because he's married and you really like him," Lacey sighed, wishing her friend was less conflicted about this. "Well, I personally think you should go for it. If it makes _you_ happy, fuck everyone else's opinion." She wasn't going to say aloud the additional note about the woman putting others first so often.

"But he has a _wife_, Lacey," Mary Margaret argued, eyes wide.

"True love doesn't care about who's married to whom," she sighed before turning her attention to another customer. She glanced back at her friend to see that the woman seemed to be considering her words.

_The Village of Marbaden…_

The village was quiet when Belle arrived, carrying a basket full of herbs from her garden and simple enough remedies to trade with at the market. She hummed a mild tune while she walked towards a wool merchant. The light chatter of the market was interrupted by shouting and a young man running into the area.

"Wolf! There's a wolf attacking the sheep! We need help!" he shouted and some of the men rushed to their weapons and ran with him to the fields.

"Oh my…," Belle sighed, pausing in her discussion about trading one of her potions for a basket of wool.

"It's probably another of Dmitri's pranks…he's always joking around with no care for others," the merchant sighed. "Now…about this remedy you were offering? Does it really work?"

"Yes, it does," Belle assured her. The men returned as the exchange was made, all of them visibly angry.

"A wolf isn't something to joke about!" one of them complained.

"He takes things too far with his pranks…," another sighed. Belle frowned a little, getting a bad feeling about the situation, but went back about her shopping.

_Storybrooke, Maine; 5/11/2012 23:00_

Lacey left work early, no one caring as it was slow and unlikely to pick up on a school night. She barely took the time when she reached her apartment to put her purse down before going up to Mary Margaret's apartment. She knocked lightly on the door and it was Emma that opened it. The blonde stared at her blankly, confused.

"I'm Mary Margaret's neighbour," she explained.

"Okay then…," Emma sighed. "She's killing brillo pads…"

"Oh, honestly…," she groaned and went into the apartment. She saw her friend scrubbing an already clean pot and she walked over, gently putting a hand over Mary Margaret's. "Still having troubles with him?"

"I was about to say that the brillo pad might press charges if she keeps it up…," Emma joked.

"The dishes were _piling up_," Mary Margaret said sharply, indicating the four dishes in the rack to dry. Fortunately for the cleaning supplies, the woman stopped her scrubbing.

"Piling up…right…," Lacey sighed and Emma rolled her eyes.

"This have anything to do with David stopping by?" Emma asked. The whole situation was mildly amusing to Lacey, the saviour in the same room, unaware that she was talking to her mother about a dilemma with her father. It was hard sometimes to keep it to herself, knowing the truth.

The bartender sighed and went to the cabinets to fetch three glasses. She then hunted down the alcohol and talked the others into sitting down for a drink. Lacey started chatting with them, aiming to cheer her forlorn friend up and get to know the saviour a little.

_01:30_

When Lacey finally returned to her apartment, she was not happy. Sure, Mary Margaret was cheered and ready for a new day, but _Emma_ was hopeless. The blonde was so hopelessly hard hearted, her very ability to believe in magic of the most mundane breed was nearly gone. It would take a miracle for Emma to believe in the curse and break it.

_The Village of Marbaden…_

Belle returned to the village with more potions, prepared for the villagers' interest in a 'good witch' to trade her simple potions for goods. She chose the day-old bread from the baker in exchange for a powder to repel mice from his kitchen. A potion to help a farmer's plants grow and be ready for a plentiful harvest was traded for some of the man's misshapen fruits and vegetables.

"Wolf!" the boy from a few days before, Dmitri, shouted, rushing into the market with what looked like blood on his hands. "Wolf attacking the sheep!"

"He's probably lying again…," one woman commented as the men started to gather their weapons.

"I know a spell to calm the sheep, I'll go with you all," Belle offered, resting a hand on the sword on her belt. The men looked at each other a moment before nodding in consent.

"As long as you can handle that blade, miss," the baker laughed.

"I wouldn't bother carrying it if I couldn't use it," she said lightly and went with the men to the field where the sheep were grazing. There was no sign of any wolves, but there was blood splattered over some of the grass and a sheep lay dead at the centre of the mess.

Belle drew her sword, just in case, and went to investigate the body. The men split up to search for the wolf and one of the farmers joined Belle with the sheep.

"It's odd…," she said softly to him. "If a wolf attacked, the sheep would have panicked and scattered…"

"True," the farmer agreed. He reached to touch the sheep and scowled at whatever he found. "This sheep died yesterday!" he shouted. The rest of the men returned, clearly realizing they'd been tricked at the same time.

Dmitri started cackling, falling to his knees with his laughter. Belle shook her head, sheathing her sword and returning to the market with the men.

"By the way, Miss," the farmer started. "That sheep died of illness…fourth this moon."

"I think I might have a recipe to ward off illness in the flock," she said, tapping her chin. "Yes, yes, I do…it will take a few days to prepare, and I may need a few ingredients, but I can whip something up. I know how serious losing any livestock can be."

_Storybrooke, Maine; 6/11/2012 11:00_

Lacey was hiding in the library apartment, working on potions that had been recorded to work in lands without magic. Most of the potions were her old remedies that didn't need magic to work in the first place, which made it easier to work on them with her nose in a book of incantations that might work in Storybrooke. Nothing she found would suit her needs. She snapped her book shut and turned her attention back to her potion.

She hummed softly as she worked, trying to think of a plan. None of the spells that would work in a land without magic would give Emma the push to believe. It seemed that Henry was still the only real option to getting the saviour to believe in magic and break the curse.

As she was mixing in the final ingredient, her phone went off. She sighed and glanced at the device to see that it was Mary Margaret calling. Lacey picked up her phone and answered the call.

"Is something wrong, Mary Margaret?" she asked, trying to hide the worry in her voice. If things went too far with Regina keeping the prince and princess apart, it wouldn't matter if the curse was broken.

"He left her," Mary Margaret told her, her voice shaking.

"What?"

"David left Kathryn," she clarified and Lacey looked at her cauldron.

"Oh…well…," she trailed off, trying to think of the right words. She knew that Regina would do all in her power to keep the two apart, and she couldn't interfere too much without jeopardizing all of her plans. "You'll have a choice…to follow your heart or what other people dictate to you."

"Right…okay…" The call was ended and Lacey put the final touches on her potion before setting up the vials for it.

_The Village of Marbaden…_

At the end of the week, Belle returned to Marbaden with the requested potion to help with the blight the sheep seemed to be suffering from. She went the long way through the field and paused at a sick looking sheep that was isolated from the others.

"Oh, you poor thing," she mumbled, checking it. It was clearly ill with the blight the farmer had told her about. She tutted and pulled a crystal and twine out of her bag. She spoke a spell and the crystal began to glow. "That should do it. You'll be better in no time," she told the sheep, tying the crystal with the twine and then tying the twin around the sheep's neck loosely. As she straightened to get back on her path, she heard laughter.

She frowned and saw Dmitri and another boy laughing as the other boy donned a wolf costume. Dmitri headed for the village while his friend got down on all fours in his costume. Belle shook her head a little and went back to her journey. She made it to the market as Dmitri was putting on his performance. Only two of the men fetched their weapons and went to check on the sheep.

"Eventually, he'll realize that some things shouldn't be joked about…," the weaver sighed. "Ah, Belle! You're just in time! I finished that fabric you asked me to make with that exquisite thread you brought earlier this week."

"That's lovely," she said brightly before picking a potion from her basket. "Here. I overheard you mention to the seamstress the other day that your son took ill."

"Oh, bless you, Belle," she cried, taking the potion gratefully. "Would you like some more fabric in exchange for it? I hear you prefer to take damaged or flawed goods in exchange for your potions…"

"Well, I was just worried about your son, but if it'll help to take that fabric off your hands…," she trailed off.

"Oh, it would! I always hate finding mistakes in my work after it's done. It's so tedious to unravel the fabric and start over…and unless the flaw is at the edge where it will be cut off or hidden in a seam, no one will buy it." Belle tapped her chin after magically sending the bolt of golden fabric to her hut.

"Hm…I have plenty of fabric right now. But if the flawed bolt is undyed or red…I can make use of it."

"Wouldn't you know? It's blood red," the weaver laughed. Belle smiled and took that bolt off her hands as well, vaguely noticing the two men return, red in the face and clearly enraged. "Oh dear…," the woman sighed. "It must have been another 'joke'…"

"I came through the fields…a boy was dressing up as a wolf," Belle sighed. "I didn't think anyone would go to investigate after the last time otherwise I would have saved them the trouble."

"They probably answered the call out of concern for the sheep," the seamstress said lightly, joining them. "Alya did you finish that green bolt I asked for?"

"It's right here!" the weaver fetched the bolt and Belle curtsied to the two women before going to find the farmer.

"Belle! I didn't see you arrive," he exclaimed.

"I was talking with the weaver. And I saw on my way in that one of the sheep took ill…"

"Yes…I'm at a loss over this blight!"

"Well, I have the potion you asked for," she told him, pulling the right vial out of her bag. "Sprinkle this in their feed and they'll be shielded from this blight. And…for the sick sheep, I took the liberty on my way in to enchant a crystal and tie it to their neck. Don't worry, the twine will break and the crystal will vanish when the sheep is better."

"Oh, you're a blessing on our village Belle," he praised. "Would you like anything in exchange for that remedy?"

"Well…at sheering time, hold the dirtiest, roughest wool for me."

"That's…an odd request, but okay," he agreed.

_Storybrooke, Maine; 6/11/2012 12:00_

Lacey frowned when neither Katherine nor Mary Margaret arrived at Granny's for their daily get together. Instead, she got a text from Katherine that simply read _SOS_. So, she asked for all of their lunches to-go and paid while Ruby transferred everything to boxes and wrapping.

"Thank you, Ruby!" she called after taking the food and drinks and rushing to her car. In her worry and rush to get to the school to help her friends, she nearly ran Gold over. "Sorry!" she shouted to him. She barely managed to park straight in the visitor's parking lot and she rushed up to Mary Margaret's classroom with their meal.

"What happened?" she gasped out when she arrived, putting the bags from Granny's on a desk. Mary Margaret looked at Lacey and a silent Katherine, distressed.

"Katherine…Lacey…I don't know what to do!" Mary Margaret whined, dropping her head onto her desk.

"Did he come here?" Lacey asked softly and Katherine nodded.

"Yes…," the art teacher sighed.

"He wants me to meet him tonight," Mary Margaret told them, lifting her head.

"He's married," Katherine reminded her.

"He left her," Lacey told her.

"That doesn't change the fact that he's married!" Katherine argued. "If you meet with him, and he remembers everything later on…and he chooses to go back to her…"

"I know…but I don't know what I want to do!"

"Well, you have to think about it eventually. Before the time he wants to meet with you tonight."

"Thanks…oh, you brought everyone's lunch…"

"Of course," Lacey said lightly, moving their food to the front desk. "I was waiting for you guys at Granny's when Katherine texted me." They ate quickly and cleaned up after themselves before Katherine left the room with a request to be updated on whether Mary Margaret went through with it or not.

"Lacey…?" Mary Margaret trailed off as Lacey started to leave. "Do you think I should go?"

"I stand by my advice from earlier. You can follow your heart, or follow what everyone expects of you. And honestly, you'll never fly if you don't take the leap," she said lightly before heading out.

_The Village of Marbaden…_

Belle was enjoying her time in the market of Marbaden, happy to help the people and show them that not all magic was evil. That day, she was browsing the herbalist's stand when the screaming reached her. All eyes turned and the men started to grab their weapons. When Dmitri ran into view, looking genuinely terrified, they all put their weapons down and went back to their business. The young sorceress frowned and set her basket down.

"We'll finish our business when I get back," she told the herbalist.

"Don't bother, Miss Belle…you know as well as everyone else that he's been lying every time…"

"I don't know, he seems genuinely scared this time, I'm going to check on the sheep at the very least," she argued, hurrying after Dmitri as he rushed off. Sure enough, when she got near to the field, she could hear the sheep bleating in distress and then shouting as Dmitri was clearly trying to fight off the attacking creature. She picked up the pace and then took in the size of the wolf.

It was at least four times the size of a normal wolf, and she could almost _smell_ the curse on it. She narrowed her eyes and waved a hand, willing the sheep into a safer field. This was no ordinary wolf, so she drew her sword and advanced on it. Dmitri fell back while Belle fought the wolf. It clearly had intelligence as it dodged her swings and tried to disarm her. However, she had magic on her side and she used a spell to outsmart the creature.

Finally, in a powerful sweep of her blade, the wolf's head fell from its body and Belle turned to check on Dmitri.

The poor boy was shaking with fright and covered in blood.

_Storybrooke, Maine; 6/11/2012 19:15_

Lacey watched from the shadows as David tried to find his way. She sighed tiredly, knowing exactly why he was struggling. The curse wasn't taking hold, so he didn't know the layout of the town like everyone else. She started to step out to guide him to the bridge, but stopped when she saw Regina on the approach. She swore under her breath, knowing that Mary Margaret was about to get her heart broken.

Regina took advantage of David's confusion to give him directions to the Pawn Shop instead of the bridge. Lacey went ahead, trying to find a good spot to interrupt David's journey. She knew that there was surely something in that shop that would act as a trigger for the curse to take hold of him. Unfortunately, as the journey took her closer to the Pawn Shop, the harder it would be for her to avoid encountering Gold. And she couldn't play on his assumption that she was a hallucination with someone else around.

_Damn that woman_, she thought bitterly. She wondered, not for the first time, what exactly Regina had against the couple.

Frustrated with her inability to help, Lacey went back to her apartment.

_The Village of Marbaden…_

Belle sighed and waved her hand, cleaning Dmitri up with magic before gently trying to calm him. She wanted to chastise him for his previous pranks that had everyone else ignoring him, but that could wait until the shock of his ordeal had passed. As she gently checked him for injuries, he began sobbing.

"It's over now," she told him.

"I've never seen a wolf that big!" he wailed.

"It was no wolf," she told him, sighing as she saw a jagged wound in his arm that could only have been from the wolf. "Did it bite you…?"

"Yes…but…what was it if not a wolf?"

"A werewolf," she said heavily. "Neither man, nor wolf…"

"It bit me! What does that mean?" he started to panic.

"Easy there, Dmitri," she sighed, touching his shoulder and channelling a bit of soothing magic into her voice. "There's still time to deal with the poison they spread."

"Poison…?"

"Yes…a werewolf's bite will turn you into a werewolf at the next full moon," she explained gently. "I can help you avoid it, but all magic comes with a price…"

His eyes went wide and he contemplated her words.

_Storybrooke, Maine; 6/11/2012 20:30_

Lacey wasn't surprised by the text that Mary Margaret sent her about her meeting with David going sour. She went straight for Granny's to meet her friend and offer comfort. Katherine arrived at the same time and they joined Mary Margaret at their usual table. Lacey sat across from the two teachers while Katherine held the distraught Mary Margaret.

Lacey ordered Mary Margaret's favourite pie and asked Ruby to give them some space. The waitress nodded a little at the request, giving a sympathetic look to Mary Margaret. The pie came out and Ruby went out of her way to stay away from their table, even going so far as to recommend customers to sit at different tables away from them. Lacey smiled at Ruby in thanks.

She wasn't looking forward to the next stages of this relationship between Mary Margaret and David, knowing that they would have an increasingly hard time staying away from each other.

_The Village of Marbaden…_

Belle waited patiently for Dmitri to make his decision. His eyes rested on her sword and before she could react, he'd reached for the blade. He took the sword from its sheathe and turned it on himself, stabbing the blade through his body. Belle's eyes went wide and she started to heal him.

The wound wouldn't heal and she recalled that there was an enchantment on her sword to keep wounds caused by it from healing. She watched the life drain from his eyes, but the dying was slow. He coughed up blood and fell back. Belle saw the pleading look in his face and choked back tears.

"I'm sorry I didn't get here soon enough," she told him before resting her hand on his chest and willing his heart to stop beating. He smiled a little and despite no sound coming from his mouth, he tried to thank her before he finally passed on. Belle couldn't hold back her tears any longer and she shakily removed her sword from his body. Gently and methodically, she closed his eyes and cleaned her sword.

Just as she was standing, the farmer and a few other men came to the field, the farmer carrying her basket. She glanced at the fallen wolf and was surprised that it hadn't transformed back into a human yet.

"Miss Belle!" the baker called. "What happened? There…was a wolf?"

"Look!" one of the hunters shouted, pointing at the wolf. Its form shimmered and it finally reverted to its original human shape. "A…werewolf?!" Belle nodded a little.

"It bit him before I got here," she said softly, wiping her tears. "Dmitri killed himself before I could heal him," she explained the scene. "And by the look of it, most of the sheep are okay. I moved them to another clearing."

"My gods…and you were the only one that believed him about a wolf…," another hunter muttered as the farmer stepped forward to give her her basket.

"We're sorry, Miss Belle," he told her.

"I understand why you didn't believe him," she sighed. "I can handle myself against most creatures. And Dmitri fought valiantly until I arrived. I should get going, though…" She bowed to the men and teleported back to her hut.

_Storybrooke, Maine; 6/11/2012 23:45_

Lacey stayed with Mary Margaret until her distraught friend had calmed and seemed to come to terms with her situation. Katherine had left earlier, citing work with an apology.

"You know…you can go home and get some rest…," Mary Margaret sighed eventually.

"But will you be able to get home okay?" Lacey asked her.

"I'll be fine," she insisted.

"If you're sure…," she sighed, not wanting to leave her friend alone.

"I am," Mary Margaret said lightly. "You said the other day you have a double shift tomorrow…so go home and get some rest for that…"

"All right," she relented. "But if you need a ride, give me a call," she told her, standing and paying for their food. Mary Margaret nodded a little and Lacey went to her car, cursing Regina under her breath.

The former queen just couldn't let anyone else have even a small shred of happiness, it seemed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit me up on [Tumblr](https://sorcerymuses.tumblr.com/ask) or [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/nakirataisho)


	7. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina is having relationship problems, and she believes Emma is at the center of them. Meanwhile in the Enchanted Forest, the Evil Queen has found a way to get her full revenge on everyone that's hurt her.  
**Content Warning:** Character Death

_Storybrooke, Maine; 6/11/2012 22:15_

It had been a long day for Emma. Between Mary Margaret's drama and the events of the previous night she was frustrated enough that she would have been off her game if something had happened during her daily patrols. She was glad that she hadn't seen Graham all day, because she knew that would have set her off.

She didn't have a problem with the affair. _That_ wasn't any of her business. What made her mad about the situation was that they were sneaking around. There was also the fact that they were doing that with Henry in the house. Sex just wasn't something to risk exposing a ten-year-old to, especially when they were acting like children and hiding their relationship.

Emma shook her head and tried to think of something else as she headed into the diner for a bite to eat. If she was lucky, maybe she could join one of Mary Margaret's friends and get to know a few more people in town.

"Nice shot, chief!" Sidney cried out and the shred of a good mood that Emma had dredged up disappeared. "I bet twenty bucks you can't do it again." She looked to see Graham playing darts.

"Next round's on him," Graham laughed, taking aim with his dart.

"Emma!" Ruby greeted her. "What can I get you? Your usual?"

"Nah…I just lost my appetite…," she sighed and turned to leave. A dart whizzed by her ear and into the door frame. "What the hell?!" she raged, whirling on Graham. "You could have hit me!"

"I never miss," he defended himself. She grumbled and left the diner. Graham was hot on her trail. "You've been avoiding me. Since last night when you saw--"

"You leaving the mayor's?" she finished for him. "I'm _not_ avoiding you, Graham! I just have no interest in having this conversation. It's _your_ life, and I don't really care," she snapped.

"If you don't care, then why are you so upset?" he questioned. Emma set her expression.

"I'm _not_ upset," she bit. She was angrier about the situation.

"If that were true, you'd be at the bar with me, having a drink and not running away," he laughed. "Can we please talk about this? I need you to understand."

"Why?" she asked, annoyed that he couldn't just drop it.

"I don't know…," he admitted. "Maybe…so _I_ can understand."

"You need analysis, go talk to Archie," she snapped.

"I wanna talk to _you_," he insisted.

"Well, your bad judgment is _your_ problem, not mine," she griped, walking away from him. He followed her and she groaned.

"You don't know what it's like with her," he tried. "I don't _feel_ anything. Can you understand that?"

"A bad relationship?" she quipped. "Yeah. I understand a bad relationship. I just don't wanna talk about _yours_."

"Look, I know you and Regina have your own issues," he sighed. "And I should've told you about that before you took the job."

"Yeah," she ground out. "Why the secrecy? We're all adults. You can do whatever, and _whoever_ you want."

"Because…I-I didn't want you to look at me the way you are now…," he mumbled.

"Why do you care how I look at you?" she questioned, starting to think he was about to try and confess to her or something. She wondered how she could have been any clearer about her desire to be left alone.

"Because…," he trailed off and his eyes went glassy for a moment. Emma frowned.

"What?" she questioned as he stepped closer to her. She narrowed her eyes and put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. Despite her efforts, he leaned in and kissed her. "What the _hell was that_?!" she shouted, slapping him.

"Did you see that?" he asked.

"_How_ much have you been drinking?" she asked, actually tasting the mead from his breath. "That was _way_ over the line!"

"I'm sorry," he apologized weakly. Emma folded her arms and glared at him as he fumbled for an excuse.

"What? You _what_?" she snapped.

"I need to _feel_ something?" he mumbled.

"Listen to me, Graham," she sighed, realizing just what the problem was. "You are drunk and full of regret. I get it. But whatever it is you're looking to feel, I can tell you one thing. You're _not_ getting it with me."

She stormed away from him and to the pub. She sat at the bar and put her head in her hands. A drink was set in front of her and she looked up to see Lacey. So, _this_ was where their neighbour worked.

"You look like you need it…," Lacey said lightly, smiling gently. "What happened?"

Emma sighed and sipped at the drink Lacey had put down for her. The drink was just what she needed to calm down. She smiled a little at Lacey and told her what happened with Graham. Her neighbour sighed heavily.

"I see why you're angry about all this," Lacey said lightly.

_King Leopold's Castle…_

Regina watched from a few feet away as Snow White put a rose on her father's coffin. The young princess' pain was a pleasure for Regina to watch, even if it was nowhere near the heartache that Snow had caused her. She knew her mother would say she was being soft, but she really wanted Snow to go through the same sort of loss that her betrayal had caused Regina. She couldn't do that if the princess didn't have someone that she loved.

So, for now, she would go easy on the girl. She started to approach the princess as she bid farewell to her father. Regina put a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Snow," she told her gently.

"I loved him so much…," Snow whispered and Regina pulled her into a hug.

"As did I, Dear," she lied. "As did I. The loss I feel for my husband must be nothing compared to the loss you feel for your father," she said softly. She couldn't imagine how she'd feel if she lost her father, even with his lack of action with her mother while she was growing up. "If there is _anything_ I can do, please let me know. I may only be your mother through marriage, but I'm here for you, Snow. Truly and forever."

"Thank you…," Snow whispered and Regina let her cry into her chest. It felt like forever, but the girl eventually cried herself out and Regina was able to go about her own business.

Regina went to her quarters, walking past the mirrors lining the walls of the wing. Despite how exhausting pretending to sympathize with the treacherous princess was, she was enjoying every moment of the girl's suffering. It crossed her mind for a moment that she was playing right into her mother's plans, but the notion sickened her. This wasn't what her mother had laid out for her.

"Congratulations," a face in the mirrors said, following her as she walked. "Your revenge is almost complete," he sighed as she came to her chamber. She scoffed and crossed to the balcony.

"One down, one to go," she hissed.

"She has no idea, does she?" her captive questioned.

"That I'm responsible for his passing?" she laughed. "She sought _comfort_ with me. Sickening…I could have ended her miserable existence right there," she growled, crossing back to her vanity to start getting ready for her evening bath. "Believe me, it was tempting."

"It would have sated your soul," he pointed out.

"The kingdom is still loyal to her," she reminded him, though it sounded more like an excuse. "They would turn on me. They don't know the _wretchedness_ inside her as I do. They don't know what she _did to me_. We must be delicate in this next phase…her demise must be handled with care," she mumbled.

"Perhaps one of your knights, Majesty?" he suggested.

"No," she bit. She wanted to make Snow suffer, but she didn't know how long she could keep her secrets from the girl. And she couldn't stand to see the girl's face a moment longer, so she would have to rush things. Rather than putting Snow White through what happened to Regina, she would stage an unfeeling murder in the woods. "I need someone adept at murder," she mused. "Bereft of mercy…"

"Someone with no heart," the mirror agreed.

"Now you understand," she laughed. She went to her wardrobe and changed out of her mourning gown and into a simple robe. She then went to a full-length mirror.

"Well, in that case, you need a huntsman," the mirror laughed.

She nodded in agreement and waved a hand over the mirror, casting a scrying spell to search the lands. She watched the mirror's image pass over forest and town throughout her kingdom. Finally, the image settled on a rather attractive man in the woods, speaking to a stag that he'd clearly just killed. Regina tapped her chin as she watched a wolf approach the man. That creature was likely the only creature that he truly cared for.

"He'll do nicely…," she said darkly.

_Storybrooke, Maine; 7/11/2012 04:30_

The bed shifted under Regina and she opened her eyes to see Graham sitting up, drenched in sweat. She looked at the window to see that it was still dark out. She sighed and sat up, touching his shoulder.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I had a most intense dream," he mumbled, pulling away from her and getting out of the bed. "I was in the woods hunting, and I killed a deer," he told her. "There was a wolf…"

"A wolf?" she tried to sound curious instead of frustrated. It seemed like he was remembering. And that meant he'd done something with that Swan woman!

"Its eyes…one was blood red, and the other was black as night," he continued, staring at the wall. "The funny thing is, I think I've seen the wolf before," he mumbled.

"Come back to sleep, Graham," she tried, reaching for him. "It was only a dream," she tried to sound gentle and reassuring like she did with Henry, trying to convince him that it was his imagination.

"It didn't feel like a dream," Graham insisted, moving to get his clothes. "It felt like a memory."

"Graham?"

"I need some air," he mumbled, starting to get dressed. "I need to think."

"Graham, please," she insisted, getting frustrated. "Come back to bed."

"I left my car at Granny's," he told her. "I need to go and get it. Clear my head," he sighed and sat on the bed to put on his boots.

"Graham," she snapped at him. "Listen. It's late," she pointed out. "You're tired…probably still drunk. Don't leave."

"Since when do you want me to stay, anyway?" he questioned sharply, looking at her. She set her expression.

"You're not well," she snapped.

"I'm fine," he insisted before leaving. Regina groaned and fell back onto her pillows. Another loose end. Or rather, that damned Swan woman seemed determined to unravel the curse. So, she'd have to take different measures to destroy any potential threat to her happiness.

_07:30_

Emma came downstairs when she woke up that morning and the first thing that she noticed was a bouquet of flowers on the table. She growled, assuming they were from Graham as some sort of peace offering or flirtation.

"Really?" she griped, storming over to the table and snatching the bouquet up. She shoved them into the trash.

"Hey!" Mary Margaret gasped, coming out of her room. "What are you doing?" she demanded.

"If Graham thinks flowers will work on--"

"No," Mary Margaret interrupted her. "Those were mine!" Emma stared at her roommate in shock.

"Oh," she mumbled, pulling them out of the trash and checking to make sure she hadn't ruined them. "From David?"

"No…," the teacher sighed, crossing to take the flowers and put them in a fresh vase. "Dr Whale…"

"Why would Dr Whale…?" she questioned. Then it came to her and she looked at Mary Margaret. "Are you serious?"

"I know, it's a disaster."

"No," she argued. "That's amazing! You're getting over David."

"First of all," Mary Margaret sighed. "There's nothing to get over," she insisted, though Emma wasn't convinced by her tone. "And second of all…it was just a one-night-stand."

"Not according to those flowers…," Emma sighed.

"Yeah…maybe I shouldn't have called him…," Mary Margaret mumbled.

"Oh. My. God," she gasped. "You called him? That's _definitely_ not a one-night-stand."

"Okay…," her roommate groaned. "I'm still learning. I…I never had one before. I felt guilty."

"Why? There's nothing wrong with what you did," she encouraged. "Trust me…one nighters are as far as I ever go."

"Well, that's because you're--" Mary Margaret cut herself off, looking away from Emma. She sighed heavily.

"Because I'm what?" Emma asked, going to the fridge to get breakfast going.

"Never mind."

"No, tell me," she sighed. "_What_ do I do?"

"You're just protecting yourself," Mary Margaret said, making assumptions. "With that wall you put up."

"Just because I don't get emotional with people…," she muttered.

"You don't get emotional?" her roommate scoffed. "The floral abuse tells a different story."

"And what story is that?" Emma demanded.

"The one that's obvious to everyone," Mary Margaret sighed. "Except…apparently…you. That you have feelings for Graham."

"Oh, come on," she groaned.

"There's the wall."

"That's not a wall!" she snapped. She had no idea why people would think that she had feelings for Graham. Beyond the fact that he was her _boss_, he'd crossed lines. Too many for her tastes.

"Really?"

"There's nothing wrong with being cautious," she defended. And after the way Neal betrayed her, she felt she had more than enough reason to be more careful who she trusted.

"Oh, true," Mary Margaret laughed. "True. But, Emma…that wall of yours, it may keep out pain…but, it may also keep out love." The other woman left the apartment with that and Emma rolled her eyes.

She went to Granny's to grab some breakfast and then to the station. She couldn't understand what was so hard for people to understand about her relationship with Graham. He was _just_ her co-worker and the only feelings she had for him at the moment were rage and confusion.

_King Leopold's Castle…_

Regina watched the huntsman in her mirrors for a good long while. He was in a tavern with his wolf, sitting off to the side minding his own business when several drunk thugs attacked him with seemingly no reason. The hunter held his own and took down his attackers with no mercy. Before she could see that conclusion of the conflict, the mirror she was watching through was shattered and her spell broken.

It didn't matter. She'd seen enough to be convinced that he was on a completely different level than others she might have considered. And if he failed her, he was attractive enough and would make for a good pet.

"He's perfect," she laughed. "Bring him to me," she commanded a guard and he nodded once before hurrying off to follow her instruction.

It was the next day before the guards finally brought him to her. She was sitting on her chaise reading a spell book. The guards announced their presence before leaving the Huntsman alone with her. She set her book aside and stood to cross the room to him. She made a circle around him and hummed in approval. He would _certainly_ do nicely.

"Do you have a name?" she asked him. He barely lifted an eyebrow and remained silent. "Or shall I just call you 'Huntsman'?" she continued. He said nothing, only looked at her with the piercing eyes of a wild animal assessing a potential threat. "You're a tortured one, aren't you, Huntsman? Is this because your parents abandoned you to the wolves?" she laughed.

"Those weren't my parents," he spoke at last, his tone harsh. "All they did was give birth to me. The wolves are my family."

"Yes, 'wolves' indeed," she scoffed. "I always felt there were two kinds of people. Wolves and sheep. Those who kill and those who _get killed_. And you, Huntsman…you are _most definitely_ a wolf."

"Why am I here?" he demanded.

"I'd like you to kill someone for me," she told him, circling him again. "Can you do that?"

"I kill for me," he said plainly and she smiled. "Why would I do anything for you?"

"Because I have _so_ much to offer," she answered coyly, touching his shoulder. "A place at my court. You'll become my official huntsman." He brushed her hand off.

"I have no interest in being a pet," he snapped and she was intrigued by his wording. "This place is a _cage_," he continued bitterly and it struck a chord deep inside her. It felt like ages had passed since she'd told her father nearly the same thing about her marriage.

"You'd be awash in luxury," she tried to tempt him. "Wanting for nothing."

"You've got an army at your disposal," he pointed out. "What do you need of _me_?"

"My prey is beloved by all the kingdom," she explained, trying again for a seductive touch of his shoulder. "I need someone who won't be blinded by that. Someone without…_compassion_. Someone who'll…have no qualms carving a heart out and bringing it back for my collection," she hissed in his ear. She wasn't planning to mention that he was also wonderfully un-associated with her and so his deed couldn't be traced back to her without one of her guards opening his mouth (and she had all of their hearts so they wouldn't dare disobey) against her.

"That's me," he sighed.

"As I suspected," she laughed, stepping away from him. "Now, tell me: what will it take? What do you want? There must be _something_," she drawled. _Everyone has a price…_, she thought.

"Outlaw the hunting of wolves," he said simply. "They are to be left alone. They are to be…protected."

"Simple enough," she sighed, wondering if his request was perhaps too simple.

"Who do you want me to kill?" he asked tiredly. She smirked and crossed back to her chaise to sit.

_Storybrooke, Maine; 7/11/2012 11:00_

Regina made her way to Dr Hopper's office when she took her lunch break. Graham was an unexpected loose end, but she was going to deal with him in what she hoped was the easiest way possible: having Dr Hopper talk him down. When she got to the office, she went into the room without knocking, knowing the cricket didn't have any appointments this close to lunch. Hopper jolted when she came in.

"Dr Hopper, we need to talk," she started.

"Oh, um…what about, Madam Mayor?" he asked, turning to face her. "Is something wrong with Henry?"

"This isn't about Henry," she sighed. "It's Graham."

"The Sheriff? What about him?"

"He's been acting strange ever since Miss Swan came to town…," she sighed, perching on an arm of the couch. "Distant…having strange dreams…"

"I'll give him a call and see about helping him," he promised.

"Thank you," she laughed, already feeling at least a little better. She stood and started to leave. Dr Hopper turned back to his desk as Regina went into the hall. She went to the station in search of Graham. He was nowhere to be seen. Emma, however, was practicing darts from beside her desk. The deputy was, without doubt, a terrible shot. "Our tax dollars hard at work, I see," she quipped.

"Graham isn't here," Emma said flatly, moving to retrieve the darts. "I assumed he took a sick day. With you."

"Oh," she laughed. "So, you're aware of us? Good. That's why I'm here," she said with a smirk and crossed to the deputy's desk, perching on a clear space. "Because I'm also aware of _your_ relationship with him."

A range of emotions from shock to outrage crossed Emma's face before she settled on a serious expression. The reaction wasn't what Regina expected. Maybe her informant was mistaken about the nature of Emma's relationship with Graham. It didn't matter.

"I don't have a relationship with him," Emma said sharply, throwing one of the darts at the board and hitting the bullseye.

"Oh? So, nothing's ever happened between the two of you?" she asked. Sydney had come to her with a candid shot of the pair kissing just the previous night before Graham had come to her. The deputy's expression turned to rage and she threw another dart hard enough to embed fairly deep in the wall beside the dart board. "You forget, Miss Swan, I have eyes everywhere," she told her.

"Nothing happened that meant anything," Emma snapped.

"Well, of course now," Regina laughed. "Because you're incapable of feeling anything for anyone. There's a reason you're alone, isn't there?"

"All due respect," the deputy sighed. "The way I live my life is _my_ business."

"It is until it infringes on my life," she snapped. "Stay away from Graham. You may think you're doing nothing, but you're putting thoughts in his head. Thoughts that are _not_ in his best interest. You are leading him on a path of self-destruction. Stay. Away."

"Tell him to stay away from me, then," Emma griped. "He's my boss but if he keeps up this sexual harassment, I may quit and press charges. Your eyes probably have photos, right?"

"What do you mean by harassment?" Regina demanded, surprised by the claim.

"Just that. If your informant is so knowledgeable, they probably told you that after he kissed me yesterday, I slapped him."

"They neglected to mention that," she sighed. "I apologize for the assumption."

"Just talk to your boyfriend, Madam Mayor," Emma sighed and Regina nodded. She stood and left the station, thinking about the situation.

_ <s>King Leopold's</s> _ _ Queen Regina's Castle…_

Regina told her guards to bring the Huntsman to her work room where she'd started her heart collection. She waited in her room for news of his return and was impressed by how quickly he returned after leaving with Snow. She walked with purpose to the room where he was waiting for her with a bloody sack in hand. He looked at her in confusion.

"I see you're still in mourning," he commented and she smirked.

"The time for mourning is over," she said lightly. "I simply found that black suits me. Now, tell me, is Snow dead?"

"The young girl's heart," he sighed, offering up the bag. "As you requested." She started to take it from him, but he stepped back. "First, there's something I must do." With his free hand, he reached into a pouch and retrieved a piece of paper.

"What's this?" she demanded.

"The girl wanted you to have it," he said simply and Regina scowled.

"Read it to me," she instructed him and he did so. When he got to the end, she snatched the paper from him and threw it into the fire.

"Don't tell me you're becoming a sheep," she growled.

"She puts others before herself…and yet, you hate her," he sighed. "What did she do to you?"

"I shared a secret with her and she couldn't keep it," she snapped. "And that betrayal cost me everything." She turned to glare at him. "Now, show me her heart!" she demanded, crossing to snatch the bag from him.

She went into her heart vault and found an empty casket for the heart. She dumped the heart out of the bag and quirked an eyebrow at its size. It was closer to the size of a horse's heart, if she thought about it. To be sure, she held the casket up to one of the empty drawers in her vault. Nothing happened and she slammed the casket onto a table.

"It should open," she told him. "This isn't her heart! It's not even a human heart! What did you do?" she questioned, crossing to grab the front of his shirt to drag him towards her.

_Storybrooke, Maine; 7/11/2012 19:00_

Regina hated to do it, but she called Emma to come arrest Graham for trespassing at her 'family crypt'. When the deputy had taken the sheriff to the station in her cruiser, Regina went into the crypt and set the bouquet of flowers on the coffin before pushing it aside to reveal the stairs that led to her vault. She crossed straight to her heart collection and gingerly removed the Huntsman's heart. Focusing, she could hear the conversation between Emma and Graham.

"What were you thinking, Graham?" Emma was asking. "Face left," she sighed.

"Emma, my heart is in there!" Graham told her and Regina chuckled.

"Your heart is right there in your chest," Emma groaned. "Right."

"Only because the curse--"

"There _is no curse_," Emma snapped, cutting him off. "I have no idea what's wrong with you lately, but if you're lucky Dr Hopper will sign off on an insanity plea and save you from the fine."

Graham was becoming less of a loose end than a legitimate threat to the curse. Particularly when she heard a resounding slap as Graham kissed the deputy and was slapped with what Regina assumed was quite a bit of force. He started rambling about the woods and his assignment of killing Snow White and Regina sighed, squeezing the heart in her hands to dust. Her pet had long outlived his usefulness.

_Queen Regina's Castle…_

"Did you think you could fool me with the heart of a _stag_?!" Regina demanded, waving a hand to lock the doors and shut the windows to lock the Huntsman in. "You're not going anywhere."

"She doesn't deserve to die," he defended as Regina used her magic to drag him towards her.

"That's not up to you," she growled. "I wanted a heart, and a heart I shall have," she continued, shoving her hand into his chest and ripping his heart out. The now magical organ beat rapidly in her hand.

"What…what are you going to do with me?" he asked fearfully. She smirked and pulled him in for a kiss.

"You're _mine_ now, my _pet_," she hissed, shoving him back and turning to face her wall of drawers. She held the heart up and an empty drawer opened. "And this is your cage. From this moment forward, you will do everything that I say. And if you ever disobey me, if you ever try to run away…," she trailed off, turning to face him and presenting his heart. "All I have to do is…," she growled, squeezing his heart enough to cause him to double over in pain. "Guards!" she shouted and two guards entered the room. She put the heart in a drawer and nodded to the guards to grab the Huntsman. "Your life is now in my hands, forever. Take him to my bedchamber," she commanded and the guards did as they were told.

_Storybrooke, Maine; 7/11/2012 19:05_

Emma gasped as Graham collapsed. Frustrated as she was about Graham forcing himself on her yet again, she was confused as to how a seemingly healthy man could suddenly collapse like that. She rushed to check his vitals and try to revive him. He was unresponsive to any of her attempts, so she checked for a heartbeat. She found nothing and shakily stood to call for a coroner. Something in her gut told her that somehow Regina was responsible, but short of the raving about hearts and curses, she couldn't figure out just how.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the long wait. I had to scrounge my muse for this story out of ML hell I've been in recently...  
Hit me up on [Tumblr](https://sorcerymuses.tumblr.com/ask) or [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/nakirataisho)

**Author's Note:**

> Hit me up on [Tumblr](sorcerymuses.tumblr.com) or [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/nakirataisho)


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